Cathedral Gorge State Park

We had originally planned to begin our trip in Ely, NV; but after looking at the updated weather forecast and seeing overnight temperatures close to freezing we opted for a lower elevation. This information led us to stay at Cathedral Gorge State Park instead.

Cathedral Gorge State Park

Cathedral Gorge, established in 1935 is one of Nevada’s first state parks and encompasses close to 2,000 acres. The parks unique landscape was formed through volcanoes, earthquakes, water, and continues to change through erosion.

2.5 million years ago this area was covered by a freshwater lake and the colored variations in the layers of rock and sediment show the fluctuating lake levels. While the clay and silt deposits show the rivers and streams that fed the lake. One of the more unique aspects of the parks landscape is the numerous slot canyons, some of which they encourage you to explore.

Campground

Taking advantage of our NV State Park Pass, we set up camp in the park campground to do some troubleshooting for the few items that came up on the drive here. After those issues were resolved, we set up our chairs to enjoy the sunshine and soft breeze for the remainder of the afternoon and evening.

Juniper Draw Loop

In the morning we begin exploring the park via the Juniper Draw Loop trail. It’s a 3 mile trail through the gorge, along the wash, past Cathedral Caves (a series of slot canyons), and finally through the CCC (civilian conservation corps) historic site before heading back to the campground.

Gorge and Wash

Cathedral Caves – Outside

Cathedral Caves – Inside

CCC Picnic Site

The original picnicking facilities built by the CCC in the 1930’s is still in use today; but the original restroom facility and stone water tower are now interesting artifacts.

Nighttime Visitor

We awake to a notification that we had a nighttime visitor and looking at the video we see a very large cat walking through our campsite. At first glance it appears to be a large bobcat; but they typically don’t have tails this long.

In the morning we stop in a the visitors center to show them the video and see if they know what it could be. They’re still inquiring; but the consensus is that we’ve seen a rare long tailed bobcat.

Miller Point Trail

Next we head up the Miller Point Trail; which winds it’s way up the gorge, past unique rock formations, to an overlook point that can be reached from the main road.

Eagle Point Trail

From the Miller Point Trail we walk along the parking area to the Eagle Point Trail. Which takes us along the top of one of the gorge walls and provide incredible birds eye views of the Juniper Draw Trail as well as the surrounding areas.

We didn’t see any birds up here this trip; but we did find a funny looking lizard.

Moon Caves (Slot Canyons)

Our final outing in the park is to go play in the Moon Caves; which are another group of slot canyons. We spent a few hours exploring these incredible wonders squeezing through tiny spaces, climbing up and over, crawling under, and when possible just walking through. These caves are a lot of fun and it turned into a pretty good workout as well.

We had a lot of fun in this park and ended up spending 11 days camping here. In addition to exploring here, we took several day trips to other locations in the area. Those will be separate posts, so that our readers don’t get bored.